GUWAHATI: The Indian government launched the nation’s first privately-operated military aircraft manufacturing plant on Monday, October 28. This event was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Spanish counterpart, Pedro Sanchez.
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The Tata Aircraft Complex, based in Vadodara, Gujarat, will manufacture the Airbus C-295 military transport aircraft in collaboration with Airbus Spain. The manufactured aircraft aims to support the Indian Air Force (IAF) and enhance India’s defense capabilities by providing versatile transport options for both troops and medical evaluations.
Under a $2.5 billion agreement signed in 2021, Airbus had supplied the initial 16 C-295 aircraft from its facility in Seville, Spain. To date, six of these aircraft have been delivered to India.
At this new Vadodara plant, Tata Advanced Systems Ltd is set to manufacture 40 more C-295 aircraft, with the first India-produced unit expected by 2026.
In his address, Sanchez commended the initiative, calling it a triumph of Modi's vision to position India as a global manufacturing powerhouse. This recent visit marks the first by a Spanish head of state to India in 18 years, following previous interactions between Modi and Sanchez at global summits in 2018 and 2021.
